Step-daughter says public needs protecting from evil poisoner

11:41am Tuesday 13th May 2008

Those were the words of the step-daughter of evil poisoner Heather Mook, who today said the woman who nearly killed her dad should spend the rest of her life behind bars.

Jane Fletcher, John Mook's eldest daughter, was speaking after the "indefinite" jailing of her stepmother, Heather Mook. It was Jane who first discovered the serial conwoman was lying to her father and the whole family.

But she was never prepared for the awful truth, which was that Heather Mook had been feeding Jane's father rat poison and anti-depressants at their Boroughbridge Road home in York while stealing £43,000 of savings from his mother Freda.

The investigation Jane sparked came to a head at York Crown Court on Friday when Judge Jim Spencer branded Heather Mook a danger to the public and locked her up, potentially for life, and warned Mook she would not be able to apply for parole for at least five years.

Today, Jane said the family were now trying to get on with their lives, with her dad returning to work to stay occupied.

Jane, 40, of Poppleton, said: "She should spend the rest of her life behind bars. She shouldn't be let out because I don't think she'll ever change and she needs to stay behind bars to protect people from what she might do.

"It is all still sinking in now that the court proceedings are over, though we keep finding out more and more about what she did all the time. It was me that first spotted the inconsistencies and began questioning what was happening, but we still only know a small percentage of what she did.

"I think the biggest blow for my dad was he was listening to the judge and wanted to believe she was ill rather than just evil.

"The growing realisation that she did that to him deliberately is hard.

"He loved her before - that doesn't go away overnight - but I don't think he does now.

"I don't think she will ever change. One of the worst things for us was that when our dad was in hospital close to death's door, we didn't know what was wrong with him but she did and not only did she never say anything she kept giving him pills.

"She feigned her way throughout all that - she seemed upset and we were supporting her. The surgeon told us that he absolutely could have died.

"I don't think we will ever get the money back she stole. We are all still dealing with the debts she left us with. I think the fact she never told the police what she did with it is another mark of her character."

Praise for police and local community

At the conclusion of the court proceedings, the judge paid tribute to a number of police officers for bringing Heather Mook to justice.

Today Jane added her family's praise for not only the police's support but that of the wider York community.

She said: "I'd like to thank the police for the help and support. Alan Rowan and Nigel Costello were both brilliant. They have been there for us every step of the way.

"My dad has also been so grateful for the support he has received from not only neighbours but the local community around him.

"We'll definitely be staying in York and just trying to sort things out and see what happens."

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